IRAQI LETTER is a blog dedicated to news reports and viewpoints of Iraqi democrats and Left activists. It endeavours to cover important events and relevant activities of Iraqi democratic groups inside Iraq and abroad.
IRAQI LETTER hopes to contribute to a better understanding of the current complex and difficult situation in Iraq, and the multifaceted struggle of Iraqi democrats for a free, fully sovereign, unified, democratic and federal Iraq.

Over
several weeks now, since 31 July 2015, Baghdad and other provinces in central
and southern Iraq have witnessed the rise of a broad popular movement that has
not been seen for many decades in our country. It has culminated successive mass
protests, the most important of which were demonstrations and strikes by workers
and employees of “self-financing” companies of the Ministry of Industry.

This
popular movement has gained momentum with the participation of hundreds of thousands
of citizens of various social and political affiliations in all provinces. The political
base of the protests, which were launched mainly by civil and democratic forces,
has broadened and also received the support of the highest Shia authority in
Najaf.

The
popular uprising has come as an expression of the explosion of people’s anger
as a result of the failure of governments of the sectarian-ethnic power-sharing
system, both at the federal and provincial levels, and the inability of
governments to run the country, serve the interests of the people and the
country and provide the bare minimum of security and services for a decent dignified
life, as well as failing to effectively combat terrorism and its instruments,
including the terrorist organization ISIS (Daesh).

The
deterioration of electricity supply in an exceptionally hot summer may have
sparked the first protest demonstrations, but the people’s demands soon deepened
towards pressing for resolute measures to combat corruption and hold the
corrupt to account, especially those who hold leading positions in the state. The mass demonstrations, that have been held
every Friday in Tahrir (Liberation) Square in Baghdad and also in 9 other major
cities, have regarded that combating corruption strengthens the battle against
terrorism, as one feeds the other. They have also called for political reform
and for urgent measures to reform the judiciary, without which it would not be
possible to implement the required reforms.

Thanks
to the national and popular character of the demonstrations, and the legitimacy
and realistic nature of their demands and slogans, as well their peaceful and
civil nature, they have exerted enormous popular pressure which forced both the
government and parliament to respond quickly by presenting packages of reforms.
The judicial authority, however, has not yet responded to the demands for
reform.

The
Iraqi Communist Party has considered the reform packages which have so far been
announced as positive steps in the right direction that need to be complimented
with deeper reforms. Our party has also stressed the need to maintain popular pressure
to ensure the proper implementation of the reforms.

After
five weeks of mass demonstrations, and nearly a month since the announcement of
the reform packages, what has been achieved on the ground is very little and modest.

In
view of the fact that the Iraqi Prime Minister has not yet presented his full vision
of the reform process and its mechanisms, coupled with the narrow make-up of
the political and governmental team which he is relying on to lead the reform
process, and the resistance by corrupt
elements and by the forces that are harmed by the reform process, in addition
to blatant external interference, it is essential to continue and escalate public
pressure in order to ensure that the reform process is achieved in various
fields.

Internationalist
solidarity and support for the popular protest movement in Iraq is of great
importance to ensure that it achieves its goals of reforming the political
system, getting rid of the sectarian-ethnic power-sharing system, combating
corruption and the corrupt, reviving the national economy, providing services
and fighting terrorism and ISIS (Daesh). Political and moral support for the
Iraqi people and their democratic forces is indispensible in their just
struggle for peace, freedom and social justice in a unified democratic and
federal Iraq.

Photos - Mass demonstration at Tahrir
(Liberation) Square in Baghdad

Friday 4 September 2014

It was the 5th weekly demonstration, every
Friday, since 31 July 2015.
Against corruption and sectarian-ethnic power sharing system .. for reform of
the judiciary .. against terrorism and political sectarianism... for social
justice and a democratic civil state